A Badge Of Honor

A Badge of Honor

They bear the scars of Jesus,

They bear Christ’s holy scars,

They wear them on their bodies 

And in their suffering hearts.

They suffer for Christ’s glory,

They share His holy pain,

His scars their badge of honor

Though others call it shame...

In their humble weakness 

Christ displays His strength;

In them He rises yet alive

Through His almighty grace.

The sick and suffering, poor, oppressed

Bring glory to the Lord,

When they praise Him in their pain

Despite their vicious storms...

They bear the scars of Jesus,

They bear His holy scars,

They’ll become a crown of gold 

He’ll place upon their heart...

Someday He will look at them,

He’ll look at them and say,

“Well done my little one 

You honored Me each day,

With the life I gave to you

To worship Me and praise;

Now come live in Paradise 

And be with Me always,

In Jesus’ name, amen.

(Prayer Poem) All Glory To God, Copyright © 2020, Suzanne Davis Harden,  All Rights Reserved.  

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Scriptures for Meditation

“ “On my own body are scars that prove I belong to Christ Jesus...” ~ Galatians‬ ‭6:17‬ ‭CEV‬‬

“God's Spirit makes us sure that we are His children.

 His Spirit lets us know that together with Christ 

we will be given what God has promised. 

We will also share in the glory of Christ, 

because we have suffered with Him.

 I am sure what we are suffering now 

cannot compare with the glory 

that will be shown to us.” 

~ ‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:16-18‬ ‭CEV‬‬

“For you have been granted [the privilege] for Christ’s sake, 

not only to believe and confidently trust in Him,

 but also to suffer for His sake, 

[and so you are] experiencing the same [kind of] conflict 

which you saw me endure, 

and which you hear to be mine now.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:29-30‬ ‭AMP‬‬

“...but Christ has said to me, 

“My grace is sufficient for you

 [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—

always available—regardless of the situation]; 

for [My] power is being perfected 

[and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.” 

Therefore, I will all the more gladly 

boast in my weaknesses, 

so that the power of Christ 

[may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me.

 So I am well pleased with weaknesses, 

with insults, with distresses, 

with persecutions, 

and with difficulties, 

for the sake of Christ; 

for when I am weak [in human strength], 

then I am strong 

[truly able, truly powerful,

 truly drawing from God’s strength].”

‭‭~2 Corinthians‬ ‭12:9-10‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Unto The Least Of These, All Glory to God, Copyright © 2020 by Suzanne Davis Harden, All rights reserved.
Original Prayer Poem, “Badge of Honor,” Original Scripture Paintings, May Christ be Honored, Copyright © 2020, by Suzanne Davis Harden, All rights reserved.Scripture quotations: CEV Bible (Contemporary English Version Bible) Second Edition) Copyright © 2006 American Bible Society, All rights reserved. /AMP (Amplified Bible) Copyright © 2015 by the Lockman Foundation, All rights reserved.

Christ Holds Everything Together By His Word

"The Son reflects the glory of God and shows exactly what God is like. He holds everything together with his powerful word." ~ Hebrews 1:3 (NCV)


Jesus Christ rules the universe the Bible says and holds it together by His powerful word.
In fact, the bible says that by His word He created the whole world! 

 Psalm 33:8-9 says "He spoke and it was done...He commanded and it stood fast."

Our lives are so uncertain. We've just experienced a massive winter storm where I live that produced record amounts of snow and single digit temperatures. 
With the snow and ice come power outages and frozen pipes. When there are no shelters from the cold and wind, where do the poor homeless go?
When the storms of life come, things we normally take for granted can be temporarily ~or even sometimes permanently ~lost.

Somewhere someone is struggling with chronic pain, another is dealing with cancer, a single mom just found out her job was terminated and she has no prospects for how she’s going to support her young family. A husband was told his wife no longer loves him. A couple just learned that their teenage child committed suicide. Missionaries serving the Lord in countries hostile to Christianity live in fear that they could be martyred any day for their faith. 

 That is just a fraction of the myriad sorrows that happen to countless people in our world every day. The Lord looks down from heaven and He sees it all. He sees every broken heart and the bible asserts that He has a special bottle where He stores every person's tears. 

"You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in your bottle." ~ Psalm 56:8 (NLT)

 Yet none of us can bear a pain or any sorrow that Jesus has not first borne upon His cross where He carried in His body all the sins and sorrows of our race. 

 He knows and feels all of our pain. And because He has felt it, He understands. 
He cherishes each one of us as if we were the only one He had to care for. He stands at His Father's right Hand and He prays for our every need. 

Whatever has fallen apart or is threatening to fall apart in my world today, I can come to Jesus and ask Him to hold it together, or to hold me together by His grace through whatever crisis I must face. 

 As the Lord Jesus Christ sits at the Father's right hand in Heaven praying night and day for us all, He hears every prayer that comes before His altar. (Romans 8:34)

No one is insignificant to Him who gave His life on the cross to redeem our souls from the curse of sin and to give us eternal life.

Concerning prayer, Jesus told His disciples,  "Ask and it shall be given you, seek and ye shall find, knock and the door shall be opened."

Trust God. No matter how chaotic the world may appear at times, He is still on His throne. One of God's names is Adonai. According to the Easton's Bible Dictionary this name means one who possesses "absolute control."  

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. ~ Hebrews 13:8 (NLT)

His Word promises “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” ~Romans 8:28 (NLT)

In good times or bad, remember always, that God’s word promises:  “Nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” ~Romans 8:38-39 (NLT)

  PRAYER

Lord Jesus, may You hear and answer the prayers of every person who needs You to hold something together in their life today. Please fill each heart with rivers of peace and hope, and faith. Lord, I ask You to hold families together, marriages together, people's health together, their minds together, whatever is threatening to fall apart in their personal worlds today, may You by Your almighty power hold it together by Thy holy word as we trust and put our faith in You; thank You, Lord, we love You, in Jesus' mighty name, amen.

*Please take a moment to view my new music video, "God Is In Control." May the Instrumental Prayersong & Lyrics comfort and encourage your hearts. ~
Love & Blessings, Suzanne 

"Christ Holds All Things Together By His Word" ~ © 2016 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. Music Video: "God Is In Control" © 2016 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. Art/Photo Credits: Scripture Pic via You Version Bible App, All other Scripture Pics via Pinterest, Scripture References New Living Translation © 2013 Tyndale House All Rights Reserved. New Century Version © 2005 Thomas Nelson All Rights Reserved.

Jesus The Light Of Life

Jesus The Light Of Life

The Bible opens with this beautiful account of the creation:

 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth...the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light." ~ (Genesis 1:1-3)

The soul apart from Christ is very much like that place at the dawn of creation when the "earth was without form and void and darkness hovered over the face of the deep."  

For without Christ "the light of the world" we walk in darkness. The bible says that Jesus was  "the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man." (John 1:9)

The Gospel of John opens much like the book of Genesis:

John 1:1,3-5

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 

In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

And the light shineth in *darkness; and the darkness *comprehended it not.

Jesus Christ is not only our Creator, He is the Light that moves upon our spirit that brings the Eternal Day into our hearts when we receive Him as our Savior.

When Jesus Christ comes into our hearts, His light shines into the formless darkness of our souls, and His grace turns our chaos into order, our confusion into peace.

When Jesus comes into our hearts, His light not only illuminates our darkness but His word promises that all the forces of darkness shall not be able to overcome His light within us as we abide in Him.

Scripture says that the darkness cannot comprehend Christ's light.

The word comprehend as defined by the Strong's Bible Dictionary can be interpreted in several ways:

The darkness does not eagerly receive Christ or the things of God.

The darkness cannot possess Christ or those who have His light abiding in their hearts.

The darkness cannot perceive, comprehend, or understand Christ or the things of God.

The darkness cannot ever overcome Christ, His Church, and all those who are abiding in Christ's light.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, bring the light of Christ to all who are in darkness today. If any are experiencing confusion, fill them with Thy peace for Thy word says that "God is not the author of confusion but of peace..." (1 Corinthians 14:33)

Thy word promises that "...the Lord blesses His people with peace." ~ (Psalm 29:11)

Lord, thank You for Being our Light, our Salvation, and our Peace, in Jesus' name, amen.

2 Thessalonians 3:16 (NIV) 

"Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you."

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DEFINITIONS

*comprehended  (Strong's Bible Dictionary )

καταλαμβάνω kat-al-am-ban'-o

Definition: to take eagerly, i.e. seize, possess, etc. (literally or figuratively)

Usage: :--apprehend, attain, come upon, comprehend, find, obtain, perceive, (over-)take.

*Darkness: (Thayer Bible Dictionary)

skotia (transliteration)

Definition: Metaphorically used of ignorance of divine things, and its associated wickedness, and the resultant misery in hell.

Unto The Least of These "Jesus Light of Life" © 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. Scripture Quotations King James Version Bible, New International Version Bible, New American Standard Version Bible: Definitions: Strong's Bible Dictionary, Thayer Bible Dictionary: Scripture Pictures Created via You Version Bible App

Wait On The Lord

My soul, wait thou only upon God, for my expectation is from Him." ~Psalm 62:5 

The Strong's Bible Dictionary defines the word that the Psalmist uses for "wait" in this passage as "to be dumb, to be astonished, to stop, to hold your peace, keep silent, be still, tarry, be cut off..."

Such a definition carries several implications. 

Meditate for a moment on what it means to "be dumb..mute, silent & hold your peace before the Lord. 

Have we ever just worshiped the Lord in silent prayer; cut ourselves off from every distraction so that we can completely focus on listening to the Holy Spirit? 

This is what the Psalmist is saying. 

"For my expectation is from God..."

The word expectation means "hope, outcome, the thing that I long for."

We will not find our hope in our work, mobile devices, on the Internet, social media, or any of a number of other things that distract our hearts away from God. 

We must go into our prayer closet and get alone with Jesus Christ and worship. 

In that quiet place our Lord will whisper His truth to our hearts.  Our love and knowledge of Him will grow as we practice waiting on Him in the silence of the holy place of our hearts. 

For He is our heart's truest desire and we will find all of our deepest longings fulfilled in Him.

PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father, draw us closer to Your holy heart and help us learn to be still before You in prayer as we worship You; to wait on You, to listen for Thy still, small voice. We love You, in Jesus' name, amen.

Unto The Least of These "Wait On The Lord" © 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. Bible Verse King James Version

Rejoice In The Lord Always

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice." Philippians 4:4

St. Paul wrote those words even though he had a terrible affliction of some sort he called "a thorn in his flesh." 

In 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 he wrote: "Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 

Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 

That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Paul was beaten, stoned, persecuted, imprisoned, and suffered much abuse for his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet he wrote, "Rejoice in the Lord always..."

What does that word "rejoice" mean? 

The Strong's Bible Dictionary defines it:

χαίρω khah'-ee-ro

Definition: to be "cheer"ful, i.e. calmly happy or well-off; impersonally, especially as salutation (on meeting or parting), be well

Usage:  be glad, God speed, greeting joy(- fully), rejoice.

Paul is saying, "Don't despair! Don't be discouraged! Instead, choose to be happy, choose to rejoice. To rejoice in spite of our discouragements, trials, and sufferings is a choice we can make. 

The apostle James told us to rejoice despite our circumstances. 

James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 

Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

Instead of being discouraged by our challenges, we need to focus on our blessings. There is always something we can be thankful for. 

It is good to keep in mind that no matter how much we are suffering, there is always someone somewhere who is suffering far more than we are, and we should pray for that person. 

The prophet Jeremiah saw terrible tragedy all around him. Yet he wrote in Lamentations 3:22-23: 

"Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."

Gratitude is a wonderful antidote for discouragement and will bring the blessing of joy into our hearts. 

Starting today may it be our choice to "Rejoice in the Lord always!"

Prayer

Heavenly Father, may You help us choose to rejoice always in You and to be grateful for all the ways You have blessed us and been so faithful to us throughout our lives. We love You, in Jesus' name, amen.

"Rejoice in The Lord Always"© 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. Scripture Illustration © 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.  Scripture References King James Bible, Strong's Bible Dictionary, NIV Bible Translation © 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® All Rights Reserved. Unto The Least of These © 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.

Our Brief Sojourn

Recently, a friend told me the sad news that she'd had a death in her family. Yesterday my son called to ask for prayer and told me that his precious wife, our daughter-in-law, had been hit head on by another vehicle as she was pulling out of their garage on her way to work. 

Miraculously, she sustained only minor injuries, but her car was totaled and she could have been killed.

I praise our merciful God for sparing her life!

Our sojourn on this earth is so brief. Moses wrote in Psalm 90:10, 12: 

"Our days may come to seventy years,or eighty, if our strength endures;

Lord, Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."

Life is also so random. Anything can happen at any time any day. But when you know and walk with the Lord Jesus Christ you have full assurance of your eternal dwelling place. You know that His word promises He will never forsake those who have put their hope in Him. All those who have committed their lives to Christ are sealed with the living Spirit of Christ. They are eternally inseperable.

Copyrighted//Source: Pinterest

Charles Haddon Spurgeon is one of my favorite Bible teachers. A reformed Baptist preacher, he lived and preached in England during the 19th century. He wrote many sermons, devotionals and inspirational books. 

The following excerpt is from his devotional "Morning and Evening." May it bless and comfort you as much as it did me.

Morning, June 29

"Them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him."

1 Thessalonians 4:14

Let us not imagine that the soul sleeps in insensibility. 

"Today shalt thou be with me in paradise," is the whisper of Christ to every dying

saint. 

They "sleep in Jesus," but their souls are before the throne of God, 

praising him day and night in his temple, singing hallelujahs to him

who washed them from their sins in his blood.

The body sleeps in its lonely bed of earth, beneath the coverlet of grass. 

But what is this sleep? The idea connected with sleep is "rest,"

and that is the thought which the Spirit of God would convey to us. 

Sleep makes each night a Sabbath for the day. 

Sleep shuts fast the door of the soul, and bids all intruders tarry for a while, 

that the life within may enter its summer garden of ease. 

The toil-worn believer quietly sleeps, as does the weary child 

when it slumbers on its mother's breast. 

Oh! happy they who die in the Lord; they rest from their labours, 

and their works do follow them. Their quiet repose shall never be broken…”

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PRAYER

Heavenly Father, please bless and encourage all those who have suffered the loss of loved ones or friends this week, or who will soon face such grief. Thy word says You are close to the brokenhearted and that You bind up their wounds. Fill their souls with rivers of Thy love, grace, peace and hope; give them faith to know that their loved ones are safe with You. Thank You, Lord, in Jesus' name, amen. 

Excerpt From: Charles H. Spurgeon. “Morning and Evening: Daily Bible Readings for Every Day of the Year.”

Unto The Least Of These © 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved.

Interview With Christian Poet Liana Wendy Howarth

Liana Wendy Howarth

"Upon a tabletop in heavenly realm Your Savior lays gifts,

waits to welcome you home

And each bears a name amidst love, forgiveness

a name, a name that belongs to you only...

Priceless

a pearl...a pearl...of your very, very own... "

~Liana Wendy Howarth

Interview With Christian Poet 

Liana Wendy Howarth

Liana Wendy Howarth is an extremely gifted contemporary songwriter and poet. The author of two books of poetry, she writes for both children as well as adults.

For her song "When Hurt Can Hurt No More," The Song of the Year songwriting contest awarded Liana the "Suggested Artist" placement in their song contest.

Song of the Year receives entries from all over the world and only the top songwriters receive a Suggested Artist placement in the songwriting competition.

Liana maintains a popular poetry blog called Poetry Cottage which she updates almost daily with a brand new poem at poetrycottage.wordpress.com.

I was thrilled when Liana agreed to be interviewed on my blog, sharing her life and writing process in her own words.

 

Liana as a young child

 Where are you from?

Liana: I was born in Exeter, Devon, England and have been living in Australia since 1970.

How long have you been writing poetry?

Liana:  I have been writing for 16 years.

 What influenced your writing?

Liana: The love of children's picture books to begin with, which led to inspirational writing over the years.

 

Liana at age 25

 Who were your favorite authors to read as a child that shape your writing today?

Liana: I cannot really place any particular author. I don't remember books playing a big role in my life when I was younger.

  How many books have you written?

Liana: I've written two.

Liana's First Book of Poetry

 What is your first book?

Liana: My e-book, Fragrance from the Spring.

  What prompted you to become a writer & to publish your writing?

Liana: To be honest, I cannot remember how it all started. It just happened. I now know that it was and is of the Lord and I give Him all the glory. I always dreamed of being the author of a hardcover and this is now a reality.

How do you publish your books?

Liana: At present, through WestBow Press, a Christian self-publishing company in the US.

Sunrays and Lily Smiles, Liana's newest book of Poetry

 What is your newest book?

Liana: Sunrays and Lily Smiles which comes in e-book, softcover and hardcover formats.

 What inspires you most?

Liana: The gift of life. The beauty of nature. The sweet melodies of a songbird. A child's laughter. A purring kitten. Tears. Most of all, the love of God.

 Where do you get your inspiration from?

Liana: Often during prayer time I will be given the first line, particularly for my song lyrics and the verses just flow from there. I can look at a rose. The depth of its splendor deserves to be shared with those who cannot witness its glory.

 Your book Sunrays and Lily Smiles is a treasury of poems for children and adults. Would you ever consider writing a book of poems just for children?

Liana: Most definitely. Before the inspirational writing commenced I tried to publish a book just for children; but the timing wasn't right. Currently, I have a series for young children for which I am presently seeking a publisher.

What are in the contents of Sunrays and Lily Smiles?

Liana: Within the covers you'll find most of my work from way back in the beginning up until the end of last year. Inspirational and children's poetry, song lyrics, greeting card insert suggestion and words of encouragement plus a children's short story. It contains all of my first book plus much, much more.

 How did you choose that name?

Liana: The name is a combination of the following :-

Sun (my love for Jesus, (God's Son), rays (my father Raymond), and Lily (in memory of my beautiful mother Lilian and ly (Lee) short for my name), Smiles (in memory of my precious brother Miles). My childhood family.

 What are your hobbies?

Liana: My hobbies have been put on hold for a few years due to ill health; but I love to read, and sewing, patchwork, baking and playing piano have all had a special place in my life. Line dancing currently has my attention. I just need the energy to do it :-). Most of all I love the freedom of writing, being able to pour one's emotions out like a beautiful healing fragrance.

What do you do to market your books?

Liana: As far as promotion goes I have shared on Twitter, Facebook and my blog www.poetrycottage.wordpress.com and on my website www.poetrycottage.com.

Do you find it difficult to market your books as an independent author?

Liana: I must admit I do find it difficult re marketing as the expense is quite high for the packages that are available. Money never was the object for publication. I just wanted to share what I had been given.

 What advice would you give to aspiring authors and poets who want to publish their work and who have been motivated and inspired by your example of someone who has written and published two books of original poetry and maintains an inspirational blog that encourages people all over the world?

Liana: Be honest with yourself. Share from the depths of your heart to the level that you are comfortable with. 

If something you publish eg online has you worried, then maybe it's not meant to be shared or it's just not the right time. Try not to be discouraged. 

There are days where the sun shines vibrantly on one's work and others where the dark clouds are all too threatening. 

Don't compare yourself with others. You are unique and gifted with your very own style. 

Finally never give up. I was turned down by many when originally trying to publish a book of children's poetry. 

Everything is for a reason and all in God's time.

How might people contact you who are interested in getting in touch with you?

Liana: Anyone wanting to contact me can do so through my email poetrycottage@gmail.com.

 Thank you so much, Liana, for sharing your inspiration with us! Your life and your work are a beautiful blessing on this earth.

Heavenly Father, thank You for blessing us through Your precious daughter Liana and her beautiful gift of poetry. May You continue to bless and inspire her to write beautiful poems and songs that bless and encourage others for the glory and honor of the name of Thy Son Jesus Christ, in His name we pray, amen.

There's A Hidden Name In Every Thorn
© Liana Wendy Howarth All Rights Reserved.

"Every time we hurt someone

Every time we turn away

Every time we distance ourselves

Causes more anguish...

We have an urgent need to pray

Every cruel, silent thought

And each little unseen smirk

Each little share in 'innocent' gossip

Causes pain in the everlasting Father's work

And we are all at some time guilty

And we have all caused others to mourn

So look very closely at the rose that presents

For there's a hidden name in every thorn."

~Liana Wendy Howarth 

Unto The Least of These: An Interview with Christian Poet Liana Wendy Howarth © 2015 Suzanne Davis Harden All Rights Reserved. Poems quoted from Sunrays and Lily Smiles © 2014 Liana Wendy Howarth All Rights Reserved. Photos © 2015 Liana Wendy Howarth All Rights Reserved.